McNeal to Porter was greatness. Excellent throw and even better catch!
Texas A&M Football
Oh my gracious, there have been dozens of great plays in Texas A&M football history.
With that in mind, TexAgs is ranking the greatest 50 plays in Texas A&M football history. The list will be revealed five plays at a time from No. 50 to No. 1.
There were big runs, big catches, big hits, big kicks and big returns. Some produced iconic moments. Some clinched championships. Some contributed to stunning upsets. Some even came in losses. There was “The Hit,” “The Texas Special” and “Bo No Go.” There was Johnny Football, Sirr Parker and Toooombs.
They will bring back great memories. They will cause great debates. There will be questions like “How could that play not be higher?” or “Why was this play omitted?”
Oh Doctor, it was hard compiling our list. See how closely yours matches ours.
Click here to review plays 26-50.
25. Bubba Bean breaks away (Nov. 28, 1975): A duel of top-five teams was predictably closely contested. No. 2 Texas A&M held a 17-10 lead over No. 5 Texas midway through the fourth quarter. At the Aggies' 26-yard line, A&M quarterback David Shipman handed off to running back Bubba Bean. Bean headed into the middle of the Texas defense and broke into the open field when tackle Dennis Swilley pancaked the Longhorn middle linebacker. Bean raced 73 yards before getting dragged down by Texas cornerback Raymond Clayborn at the 1-yard line. Today, instant replay likely would have awarded Bean a touchdown. Bean’s breakaway run set up a chip-shot Tony Franklin field goal with 3:57 left that clinched the A&M win.
24. Johnny Manziel with a night to remember (Oct. 13, 2012): In a clash of ranked opponents, the Aggies were struggling to put away pesky No. 23 Louisiana Tech. A&M held a 53-44 lead with just over two minutes remaining but was looking at third-and-23 on its own 28-yard line. Quarterback Johnny Manziel took a snap in the shotgun, faked left and then burst through a hole over right tackle Jake Matthews. Manziel split two defensive backs at the 40-yard line and then outran the pursuit for a win-clinching, 78-yard touchdown run.
23. Porter in the back of the end zone vs. OU (Nov. 9, 2002): The No. 1 Sooners found themselves in a tough duel with the upset-minded Aggies. Still, OU held a 13-6 lead late in the second quarter. Freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal, who had replaced starter Dustin Long, had led the Aggies from their own 22 to the OU 40-yard line, but only a few seconds remained in the half. From there, McNeal launched a deep pass to tight end Greg Porter just before getting knocked down by the rush. Porter reached out to pull in the pass and got his left foot down before an OU defender pushed him out of the end zone. The touchdown forged a 13-13 tie and was an omen of what was to come as the Aggies posted a 30-26 victory.
22. The Texas Special (Nov. 25, 1965): Backed up deep in A&M's own end of the field early in the second quarter, Coach Gene Stallings called a trick play that would forever be known as “The Texas Special.” Quarterback Harry Ledbetter bounced a pass to wing back Jim Kauffman that initially appeared a terrible throw. Kauffman, feigning frustration, even picked up the football and took a couple of steps toward the A&M goal line. Except, Ledbetter’s pass was backward, so the play was still live. Kauffman then threw downfield to Ken McLean for a 91-yard touchdown that gave the Aggies a 17-0 halftime lead. Unfortunately, Texas rallied for a 21-17 victory, but that play in which the Aggies outsmarted the Longhorns became legendary.
No video available.
21. Kevin Murray completes the rally vs. Baylor (Oct. 18, 1986): No. 11 A&M trailed No. 20 Baylor 17-0 early and was down 10 points going into the fourth quarter, but a furious rally led A&M to the Baylor 4-yard line with less than four minutes remaining. Facing third-and-goal, Murray was under heavy pressure but released a pass to receiver Tony Thompson just before getting hit. The throw deflected off Thompson, but he reached back with his right hand and pulled the football back for the game-winning touchdown with 3:48 to go. The 31-30 victory spurred the Aggies on to the Southwest Conference championship.
The 50: Ranking Aggie football's greatest plays (25-21)
The 50 is sponsored by The Stella Hotel. Click here to book now.
With that in mind, TexAgs is ranking the greatest 50 plays in Texas A&M football history. The list will be revealed five plays at a time from No. 50 to No. 1.
There were big runs, big catches, big hits, big kicks and big returns. Some produced iconic moments. Some clinched championships. Some contributed to stunning upsets. Some even came in losses. There was “The Hit,” “The Texas Special” and “Bo No Go.” There was Johnny Football, Sirr Parker and Toooombs.
They will bring back great memories. They will cause great debates. There will be questions like “How could that play not be higher?” or “Why was this play omitted?”
Oh Doctor, it was hard compiling our list. See how closely yours matches ours.
Click here to review plays 26-50.
25. Bubba Bean breaks away (Nov. 28, 1975): A duel of top-five teams was predictably closely contested. No. 2 Texas A&M held a 17-10 lead over No. 5 Texas midway through the fourth quarter. At the Aggies' 26-yard line, A&M quarterback David Shipman handed off to running back Bubba Bean. Bean headed into the middle of the Texas defense and broke into the open field when tackle Dennis Swilley pancaked the Longhorn middle linebacker. Bean raced 73 yards before getting dragged down by Texas cornerback Raymond Clayborn at the 1-yard line. Today, instant replay likely would have awarded Bean a touchdown. Bean’s breakaway run set up a chip-shot Tony Franklin field goal with 3:57 left that clinched the A&M win.
24. Johnny Manziel with a night to remember (Oct. 13, 2012): In a clash of ranked opponents, the Aggies were struggling to put away pesky No. 23 Louisiana Tech. A&M held a 53-44 lead with just over two minutes remaining but was looking at third-and-23 on its own 28-yard line. Quarterback Johnny Manziel took a snap in the shotgun, faked left and then burst through a hole over right tackle Jake Matthews. Manziel split two defensive backs at the 40-yard line and then outran the pursuit for a win-clinching, 78-yard touchdown run.
23. Porter in the back of the end zone vs. OU (Nov. 9, 2002): The No. 1 Sooners found themselves in a tough duel with the upset-minded Aggies. Still, OU held a 13-6 lead late in the second quarter. Freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal, who had replaced starter Dustin Long, had led the Aggies from their own 22 to the OU 40-yard line, but only a few seconds remained in the half. From there, McNeal launched a deep pass to tight end Greg Porter just before getting knocked down by the rush. Porter reached out to pull in the pass and got his left foot down before an OU defender pushed him out of the end zone. The touchdown forged a 13-13 tie and was an omen of what was to come as the Aggies posted a 30-26 victory.
22. The Texas Special (Nov. 25, 1965): Backed up deep in A&M's own end of the field early in the second quarter, Coach Gene Stallings called a trick play that would forever be known as “The Texas Special.” Quarterback Harry Ledbetter bounced a pass to wing back Jim Kauffman that initially appeared a terrible throw. Kauffman, feigning frustration, even picked up the football and took a couple of steps toward the A&M goal line. Except, Ledbetter’s pass was backward, so the play was still live. Kauffman then threw downfield to Ken McLean for a 91-yard touchdown that gave the Aggies a 17-0 halftime lead. Unfortunately, Texas rallied for a 21-17 victory, but that play in which the Aggies outsmarted the Longhorns became legendary.
No video available.
21. Kevin Murray completes the rally vs. Baylor (Oct. 18, 1986): No. 11 A&M trailed No. 20 Baylor 17-0 early and was down 10 points going into the fourth quarter, but a furious rally led A&M to the Baylor 4-yard line with less than four minutes remaining. Facing third-and-goal, Murray was under heavy pressure but released a pass to receiver Tony Thompson just before getting hit. The throw deflected off Thompson, but he reached back with his right hand and pulled the football back for the game-winning touchdown with 3:48 to go. The 31-30 victory spurred the Aggies on to the Southwest Conference championship.
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